The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In general, vehicles include different types of motors to realize a variety of functions required for the driving thereof. For example, a vehicle using an internal combustion engine includes a motor which drives a cooling fan used to cool coolant for cooling the engine, or a motor which drives an AAF (Active Air Flap) for regulating an inflow of air. In addition, in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle which is driven by driving power generated using a drive motor, a motor is applied to an EWP (Electric Water Pump) which circulates coolant for cooling high-heating power electric parts adopted in a power conversion system for supplying electric power to the drive motor.
In order to drive these motors, the vehicle includes a battery which stores electric energy and supplies the stored electric energy, i.e. the driving power, to the motors for the driving thereof. The battery needs to be always maintained in a charged state over a certain level in order for the vehicle to smoothly travel.
However, the electric power stored in the battery may be decreased below a desired level due to various causes when the vehicle is actually maintained and travels. In particular, when the electric power stored in the battery is decreased during the traveling of the vehicle, it is desired to immediately charge the battery and at the same time to reduce an amount of electric power discharged from the battery in order to prevent deterioration of the battery or shutdown of the vehicle due to additional discharge.
The various motors included in the vehicle have a large influence on the consumption of electric power stored in the battery. Therefore, when the electric power of the battery is decreased below a desired level, it is desired to reduce electric power consumed by the motors. However, we have discovered that when the operation of the motors is stopped or the power consumption of each of the motors is reduced without special considerations while the vehicle is actually traveling, a variety of functions (e.g. cooling of a vehicle engine and power electric parts) realized by driving the motors are deteriorated, which in severe cases may lead to an adverse influence on the engine or the drive motor.
Accordingly, when the electric power stored in the battery is decreased below a certain level during the traveling of the vehicle, the power consumption of the battery must be reduced in consideration of various factors desired for the traveling of the vehicle.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and is not intended to mean that the present disclosure falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.